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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28589916">promise me, my beloved</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/bubblejoon/pseuds/bubblejoon'>bubblejoon</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Haikyuu!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, I swear this has a happy ending, I'm Sorry, M/M, References to Ancient Greek Religion &amp; Lore, but also the song of achilles sorta, but just in case, i put graphic descriptions of violence but it's really just war, i'm not even sure if it's graphic, really just the iliad</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 06:26:58</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,600</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28589916</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/bubblejoon/pseuds/bubblejoon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"Promise me, Shinsuke. Promise me that you'll only go as far as you need for you to chase the Trojans away from our camp. Promise me that you won't go any further, and that you'll only do what is needed. Promise me, my beloved, that even if the gods aren't on our side, you will return to mine."</p><p>Shinsuke runs his fingers through Atsumu's hair and tugs him down to pepper his face with butterfly kisses.</p><p>"I promise."</p><p> </p><p>-</p><p>an atsukita achilles and patroclus fic</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kita Shinsuke/Miya Atsumu</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>40</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>promise me, my beloved</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Shinsuke," a whisper through the thin walls of the tents is enough to wake him. Sunlight peeks through the gap of the entryway as Osamu sticks his head in.</p><p>"Shinsuke, the others are calling for you."</p><p>At this, Shinsuke quirks his eyebrow. For him?</p><p>"Are you sure they're not asking for Atsumu?" Shinsuke asks, glancing down at the arm thrown across his stomach. He can see Atsumu start to stir awake at the mention of his name. Shinsuke gently strokes his thumb in little circles around the back of the other man's hand to coax him back to sleep. It's only when Atsumu's face visibly relaxes that he turns back to Osamu. "Why would they need me?"</p><p>"You know how he's been lately. He refuses to even step foot near the others, let alone on the battlefield. They have a plan and need someone willing to carry it out. That's where you come in."</p><p>Shinsuke is hesitant, and Osamu seems to notice.</p><p>"It doesn't hurt to just listen to them. If it works out we all might finally be able to go back home."</p><p>At the mention of home, Shinsuke perks up. It's been almost 10 years since the war started and without progress, there was never a chance to head back. Home, where hills rolled on endlessly in a sea of green. Home, where Atsumu would goad him to race up and down each slope. Home, where Atsumu would drag Shinsuke into rolling in the grass despite knowing it'll stain their clothes and the gods would know who was at fault. Home, where Shinsuke laughed at Atsumu's boundless energy, laughed as Atsumu picked him up at the waist, and kept laughing as he cradled Atsumu's face in his hands wanting to imprint every line of his smiling face permanently into memory.</p><p>With as little force as possible, Shinsuke squirmed out of Atsumu's grasp and faces Osamu.</p><p>"What do I need to do?"</p><p>-</p><p>"No, absolutely not."</p><p>"Atsumu, if this works-"</p><p>"Yes, and if it doesn't? It's too risky Shinsuke! I won't let you do something as reckless as this. Wear my armor into battle? Who gave you this idea? Is their head screwed on straight? Did Zeus curse them with insanity?" Atsumu is pacing back and forth in their tent and Shinsuke is already tired watching him.</p><p>"No one is cursed, Atsumu."</p><p>"Then they're just plain stupid, is that it?"</p><p>"Atsumu, calm down and listen to me." Shinsuke finally snaps. Atsumu's mouth flaps open and shut in disbelief before he takes a deep breath and looks Shinsuke in the eyes.</p><p>"I am going to wear your armor and rile up our people. Like it or not, they look to you as our leader and even now are awaiting your command. You are feared and infamous, and I am sure that with even just a glimpse of your armor our enemies will cower."</p><p>"You don't have to," Atsumu begs him. He takes a step towards Shinsuke, arms outstretched, wanting nothing else but to feel his warmth beneath his fingers.</p><p>Shinsuke steps back.</p><p>Atsumu's hands drop.</p><p>"Please, Shinsuke." Atsumu's voice is shaky. "We could go home right now. Let's just go and leave Troy, okay? There are ships in the harbor and no one will stop us if we board one. We could go home and I could pick you your favorite flowers, those red ones, from the meadow behind our house. And I'd take care of the sheep as well! I know how much more you prefer gardening and I only want you to be happy and-"</p><p>"Atsumu."</p><p>"-and and I promised you we'd get married, didn't I? We could get married Shinsuke! Let's go home and get married-"</p><p>"Atsumu, my beloved, take a deep breath and do not shed any more tears for me."</p><p>Atsumu places his hand on top of the one Shinsuke has on his cheek. He doesn’t know when they got there, or when the tears they were wiping had escaped. He doesn’t know when his pleas had turned into sobs, or when his normally steady hands had started shaking. All he knows in this moment, is that Shinsuke (the one who always smells like freshly cut grass and wine, the one who believes himself to be average when anyone can see he is so much more, his Shinsuke) is not going to take no for an answer.</p><p>Atsumu searches through wet eyelashes for something, anything in Shinsuke's eyes, and only finds determination.</p><p>"As tempting as that all sounds, you know we can't." Shinsuke pulls Atsumu's head down to lean both of their foreheads together. "I know you cannot bring yourself to fight because of your pride. I know, I understand. But please understand as well, that I must fight due to my own. My beloved, I will leave you with my heart and a promise that I will come back to retrieve yours."</p><p>Atsumu's shoulders shake as he tries to take a deep breath.</p><p>"Promise me, Shinsuke. Promise me that you'll only go as far as you need for you to chase the Trojans away from our camp. Promise me that you won't go any further, and that you'll only do what is needed. Promise me, my beloved, that even if the gods aren't on our side, you will return to mine."</p><p>Shinsuke runs his fingers through Atsumu's hair and tugs him down to pepper his face with butterfly kisses.</p><p>"I promise."</p><p>Atsumu hates the sinking feeling in his stomach that whispers the promise as a goodbye.</p><p>-</p><p>They both are quiet as Atsumu helps Shinsuke strap on his armor. It hangs off of Shinsuke's body slightly, their difference in size apparent. But he's not worried, he knows that once the action starts, no one will be paying too much attention. Shinsuke doesn't break the silence to keep his focus. Atsumu doesn't break the silence in fear of losing his.</p><p>Finally, Atsumu stands straight up, holding the last piece. His helmet.</p><p>Tucking it under his arm, Atsumu brushes Shinsuke's hair out of his eyes. Shinsuke blinks as Atsumu proceeds to ruffle it back up afterwards. Atsumu places a ghost of a kiss on Shinsuke's forehead. He whispers something, but Shinsuke can't quite pick up what.</p><p>Atsumu places the helmet on Shinsuke's head.</p><p>"My beloved, how I wish you didn't have to go. We are fighting a war that is not ours to fight and I know my fate. I know I am destined to meet my end filled with glory on the fields of Troy, but not you. Not you. The gods are cruel to use us as toys."</p><p>"The gods are great, and they will help us achieve victory."</p><p>"I don't need victory, Shinsuke. I need you."</p><p>"And I will come back to your arms with both. Why do you doubt me, Atsumu?"</p><p>Atsumu flinches, but maintains eye contact with Shinsuke. "I don't. You have with you my heart and my trust. Just, remember your promise to me. Not just your promise, but mine too."</p><p>"Yours?"</p><p>"Of our future."</p><p>Shinsuke's eyes widen in surprise, then soften with fondness.</p><p>"Do not fret, Atsumu. There will come a day when you wake up with me in your arms. We will be home, together, and the only thought that worries us is of what to have for breakfast. But for now, I really must go. The sooner I do, the sooner that will become a reality."</p><p>Atsumu grabs Shinsuke's hand and squeezes.</p><p>He lets go.</p><p>-</p><p>Shinsuke was surprised at how easily the Myrmidons followed his lead. He realizes, this was Atsumu's power. This was his influence. The mere sight of Atsumu's trademark armor was enough to stroke a fire in the hearts of both the Greeks and the Trojans.</p><p>On his chariot, Shinsuke sees the damage done to the Greek camps. The Trojans were close, too close, to reaching their ships and permanently stranding them to be at their mercy. Letting out a roar, one he didn't know he was capable of making, he charges forward.</p><p>He was no monster. He was no Atsumu. He wasn't invincible, nor was he gifted, for he trained for years to master his skills with the sword. But his body is hardened by the countless sessions of practice. His mind couldn't be easily broken and his soul was filled with purpose.</p><p>No, he wasn't a monster. But anyone who saw him then wouldn't be able to deny that he had a place at the table in the monster's banquet.</p><p>Shinsuke and the Myrmidons swarmed the Trojans, instilling terror in any who sees. The Trojans turned to flee, but some were not fast enough. Blood was shed. An ocean of red spilled into the nearby sea. With each wave that crashes onto the sands of the beach, the Greeks pushed the Trojans further back.</p><p>Shinsuke had no fear of being found out. Anyone close enough to realize that the armor was ill-fitting was as good as dead. Screams filled the air, popping with every throw of a spear, every slash of a sword, every notch of an arrow. Shinsuke showed no hesitation when facing enemy. He was confident in his abilities, etched into his every muscle. He knows how to do what needed to be done.</p><p>The Greeks and his Myrmidons pushed forward with Shinsuke in the lead.</p><p>They had successfully driven the Trojans away from their camp.</p><p>Though cheers erupted, it wasn't the end just yet. And Shinsuke pushes forward.</p><p>He could do it, he thinks. He could end the war right here and now. The Trojans were knocked off of their feet and the Greeks had the momentum. This was a golden opportunity and he'd only be a fool to give it up. Shinsuke has faith in his people, has faith in his power, has faith in the gods that were surely on his side. The gods, who had helped his people reclaim their stance. The gods, who had helped him protect the camps and turn the tides. The gods were surely on his side and he was surely undefeatable with them and Atsumu's armor.</p><p>Atsumu's armor. An extension of Atsumu's own body. Atsumu's body which he has spent many nights embracing. Embracing Atsumu with his fingers trailing down his forehead, nose, lips. The lips that liked to wander and draw maps on top of Shinsuke's skin with giggles in between every city. The ones that had him promise to come back.</p><p>Guilt started creeping up his throat. Shinsuke forced it down.</p><p>He knows he is breaking his promise. He knows that and yet, he can't find it in himself to slow down. Call it pride, or maybe desperation, but Shinsuke can't stop yet. He has enough power, enough confidence to tell him that he could.</p><p>The gods favored the brave.</p><p>He nears the walls of Troy and lets out a sigh of relief. He's almost there. Once they reach the city they'll overtake it easily. He knows it. He knows it. And yet, Shinsuke is wrong.</p><p>The gods were not on his side.</p><p>Shinsuke hears a laugh.</p><p>"You are not fated to win this war now," a voice that is not his own echoes around him. "Troy must fall to a man mightier than you."</p><p>Shivers run down his body. Shinsuke tries to search for the source of the voice, but in the chaos of war cannot find it. He doesn't know whether to push forward, or retreat and let the others continue for him.</p><p>In the end, it didn't matter. His fate was decided.</p><p>Invisible hands tugged on his armor. Atsumu's armor that was too big to begin with, came apart into pieces and left a trail of gold behind him. His identity was exposed, and even the Greeks took a second to register what it meant.</p><p>It was Shinsuke behind it all, not Atsumu. Not the invincible Atsumu, who was the greatest warrior Greeks had. It was Shinsuke, who led a good lie, and was now defenseless against the Trojans.</p><p>The Trojans who were already taking aim with an arrow that found its mark in Shinsuke's shoulder.</p><p>He doesn't feel the pain. Shinsuke's hands (the ones Atsumu likes to play with, the ones that should be holding his right now) feel their way to the arrow. As if in a daze, Shinsuke grabs a hold of it and tries to pull it out.</p><p>Perhaps the gods took pity on him then. Perhaps they've seen enough, only wanting him to stop but not necessarily wanting him dead. But perhaps, they've realized what's done was done and there was no turning back now. And perhaps they wanted to soften the blow.</p><p>He sees it first.</p><p>The spear protrudes from his chest, a flower in bloom. Shinsuke's fingers unfurl from the arrow he's clutching in his hand. He lets it drop with the blood trailing down to Atsumu's chariot. Atsumu's never going to give him a break, he realizes. Here he was, dirtying Atsumu's prized chariot with stains and notches in the wood from the tip of the spear. He said he would take care of Atsumu's belongings when he borrowed them. He was supposed to return them the way they were when he left.</p><p>He had promised.</p><p>Oh, how Shinsuke regrets not keeping his promises.</p><p>He wants to cry out. Wants to beg the gods to let him see his beloved once more. Wants to curse them for their meddling, himself for his greed. For his pride. For not being enough.</p><p>The words are caught in his throat, and Shinsuke chokes.</p><p>The sounds of battle still rage around him but he cannot focus on them. Instead, he sees Atsumu. His easy smiles, perpetually warm fingers, golden eyes that shine with danger.</p><p>Ah, Shinsuke thinks, I'm sorry.</p><p>-</p><p>Atsumu makes his way out of his tent for the first time in days. He can hear the thunderous gallop of the horses from the Greek troops, they were back. But where were the welcoming cheers? Had they failed? Where were the congratulations? Where was Shinsuke?</p><p>He spots Osamu from afar, solemn. Atsumu's stomach sinks deeper than Tartarus.</p><p>He pushes his way to the front of the crowd gathered at the center of their camps. He did so much too easily, with the people creating a clear path for him. They knew something he didn't. He hated the way they looked at him with pity. He would've preferred they not notice him at all. At least then he would know that it wasn't anything major.</p><p>Osamu seems to see him. But, before Osamu gets a chance to speak a word, Atsumu has him up against his chariot.</p><p>"What happened." Atsumu doesn't question, he demands. Shaking Osamu when he sees the other avoiding his gaze. "What the hell happened out there."</p><p>Osamu couldn't answer. He wanted Atsumu to be angry. To yell and scream at him. To throw a fit and go on a tangent about how he should've taken the lead. Because then, Osamu would be able to turn it back. Ask why Atsumu wasn't there in the first place, why he let things play out the way they did.</p><p>But Atsumu was dead serious.</p><p>And Osamu was tired. His bones ached from the many blows they had taken, and his heart had grown weak by the constant grief.</p><p>So instead, he gently pries Atsumu's fingers from the grip they had on him. He leads Atsumu to the chariot behind his, seemingly empty at first glance. But he knew of what it carried, and he knows that Atsumu will soon realize too. He feels Atsumu start to shake with denial, anger, then grief. When he lets go, he sees Atsumu drop down to his knees and he so desperately wants to follow him. But he will grieve in his own time. For now, he needs to be a pillar, standing strong as support.</p><p>Trembling, Atsumu crawls towards the figure hidden beneath the sheet so carefully secured on the chariot. He picks up the end closest to him, and slowly lifts it up to uncover what it was hiding inside whilst praying to the gods that it's not what he thinks it is. Or rather, who he thinks it is.</p><p>But the gods were not listening.</p><p>Atsumu sees his hands. Caked with dirt and blood that Atsumu hopes wasn't his own, though it didn't matter much now. He knows those hands. Has spent hours upon hours tracing each line, cradling them. He knows the hands which fit like a puzzle piece into his own.</p><p>He knows those hands, and Atsumu sobs.</p><p>He wails, cries, and shakes the ground with every breath he heaves.</p><p>And the gods, they were not on his side when it mattered. But with every tear that drops on to the earth, even Gaea is brought to sorrow.</p><p>-</p><p>The sun sets early that day to grieve over Shinsuke.</p><p>-</p><p>Atsumu gets no sleep.</p><p>The funeral progressions go late into the night, but even once they're over he can't seem to stop shaking. He tosses and turns in his cot. It's funny, he used to complain about it being too small to fit both him and Shinsuke. But now? Now, each end seems acres away. He'd fold them end over end to bring Shinsuke closer, to bring him back.</p><p>It's too cold in there alone.</p><p>Too quiet.</p><p>And it leaves Atsumu to sit with his thoughts.</p><p>He doesn't want to think of Shinsuke. His heart aches too much and no more tears will fall.</p><p>Instead, he thinks about why Shinsuke had left. Shinsuke had wanted them to go home, had wanted the war to end because it had already gone on for far too long. It probably wouldn't have spanned nearly 10 years had the Greeks gotten properly together and arranged their forces. No, he reconsiders, even then they might not have had the forces to seize the city. What the Greeks needed was a powerhouse. A warrior to lead them, someone who didn't fall as easily as others.</p><p>Someone, Atsumu realizes, like him.</p><p>Could Atsumu have prevented all of this? Had he stepped up to play his role in the war earlier, would they still be as desperate as they were? Would they have been desperate enough to send Shinsuke to the forefronts?</p><p>The answer hangs above Atsumu's head. He's not a complete imbecile. He's connected all the strings and they all come to one conclusion.</p><p>Shinsuke was a mere victim of Atsumu's incompetence.</p><p>The knowledge that it was his doing washes over him like cold water. His head is clear. His body thrums with energy. All of this tragedy was his doing, and he swears by the gods that he'll make up for it.</p><p>-</p><p>It's dawn and Helios has started to make his way across the sky.</p><p>Atsumu is ready for it.</p><p>His armor was lost yesterday. Most likely taken by the man who had also taken Shinsuke's life. This was fine. Atsumu didn't need it. What use was armor when nothing could so much as scratch him anyway? All it meant was that it would be that much easier to find the culprit of yesterday's tragedy.</p><p>He knows Osamu looks at him with bewilderment. He didn't mind. There were more important matters at hand.</p><p>He refused to use his own chariot. The boards used as footing no longer felt sturdy beneath his feet. They were sticky with nonexistent blood from the journey it took yesterday. Osamu tried to convince him to take it anyway, assuring him that they had cleaned it and that there was no finer chariot. Atsumu couldn't even spare a glance at it before feeling bile in his mouth.</p><p>Naturally, he takes Shinsuke's instead.</p><p>It feels better having a part of him by his side.</p><p>It would've felt even better to just be by his side.</p><p>Atsumu takes the lead in the charge. He hopes to make it to the walls of Troy as quickly as he could. Catch the Trojans off guard with their attack. That means doing so efficiently, conserving energy for the real fight he was sure would come.</p><p>Atsumu takes the lead, but it was Osamu who had his back. Osamu had a knack of drawing enemy attention to himself. Perhaps out of fear, or maybe simple disbelief, of seeing Atsumu in battle, they diverted their focus and locked on Osamu instead. Osamu who was striking and feral in his armor. Blood dripped from his sword and as he wiped the sweat from his forehead, he left a smear of red.</p><p>By the time Atsumu even had to draw his sword, Osamu had killed plenty of Trojans before him.</p><p>Cries of outrage were starting to sound from the walls of the city. Atsumu almost felt bad. Innocent civilians were the true casualties of this war. Paying the price for the petty pride of kings who couldn't handle the throne that was handed to them.</p><p>Almost.</p><p>It didn't change the fact that it was the Trojans who ripped him away from his beloved. Nor the fact that it was also his petty pride that drove him to go.</p><p>No, Atsumu didn't feel bad.</p><p>He needed someone to blame so that maybe he could feel himself worthy of being Shinsuke's. The weight, heavy on his shoulders, was suffocating. He grasped at the invisible hands that had wrapped themselves around his neck, and with every attempt to claw them off, his sword stained with the blood of another Trojan.</p><p>(When the war has ended, they will tell the story of the day Atsumu turned the tide and gained momentum with a single cry. They will talk of the monster that dominated the battle field. Of the pure, unadulterated fear that crept into the bones of soldiers, and not just the Trojan ones. There will be whispers as well, of the tears that streamed down his cheeks. The grief evident on his bloodshot eyes. But whispers were trivial, and no one could really believe that the beast could be hurt that badly.)</p><p>(He could. And he had.)</p><p>In the distance, Atsumu spots the familiar sight of his armor.</p><p>He clenches his sword tighter in his hands. A growl rips through his throat, deep and guttural. He goads his horse to pull the chariot even faster. He had finally caught sight of his target, and he wasn't about to let it slip through his fingers.</p><p>You could call it tunnel vision. As soon as Atsumu spotted the man, no one was able to pull his attention away. Other soldiers on the battlefield were nothing but flies to be easily swatted away. At this moment, he was untouchable.</p><p>Atsumu didn't know what to think when he reached the man who had taken his Shinsuke. He thought he would be a strong warrior. Hoped he would be a hard match so that Atsumu could properly defeat him with all of his strength. He had to be of some worth to even dare take his beloved.</p><p>But the man that stood in front of Atsumu in his armor was nothing more than a coward.</p><p>As Atsumu loomed over him, casting a shadow over his trembling figure curled into itself, the man had the audacity to beg him for mercy. He unfurled his body and crawled across the red stained dirt to grovel at Atsumu's feet. He kept mumbling pleas, his face twisted ugly with desperation.</p><p>Disgusting.</p><p>"Tell me then," Atsumu crouches down, pulling the man by the hair to look into his eyes properly. "Humor me. Is your pride so worthless, your life so valuable that you'd kiss the ground beneath me? The man whose armor you stole, whose beloved you took?"</p><p>"Please, I have a wife, and a newborn son who'll grow up without a fath-"</p><p>Atsumu cuts him off with a laugh.</p><p>"Congratulations to you and your wife, but you won't have to worry about your son growing up without a father." At this, the man visibly relaxes. Atsumu leans even closer to whisper into his ear, "I'll make sure he doesn't grow up at all. He can meet you in the afterlife."</p><p>The man starts to sob.</p><p>"Ah, no crying, please. It's-" disgusting. Atsumu scowls. "I'm only being fair here. You stole my happiness, so I'll steal yours. The gods believe in balance, don't you know?"</p><p>Atsumu drives his sword through the stolen armor, through the man's chest, and out the other end. Blood trickles down the edge protruding from his back.</p><p>From there, his vision goes black.</p><p>-</p><p>Atsumu only comes to when Osamu slaps him.</p><p>He's on his knees, hands shaking. Something drips from his nose, chin, fingertips. Sticky. Warm. None of it was his.</p><p>"That's enough," Osamu says, gently prying the sword from his hands. The sword.</p><p>"Did I…" Atsumu trails off, questioning.</p><p>"Kill him? Yes. 50 times over probably."</p><p>Oh.</p><p>Atsumu had lost control.</p><p>He slowly gets back on his feet. He reaches to grasp the dead man's hair and pulls. Pulls him towards the chariot Atsumu had abandoned in the middle of battle.</p><p>"What are you doing?"</p><p>Atsumu ignores Osamu and moves to tie the man to the back of the chariot.</p><p>"Are you riding off like that?"</p><p>Atsumu nods.</p><p>"Atsumu, you are only smiting yourself by desecrating his body. You have done enough. The gods will not be happy should you do this, nor would Shinsuke."</p><p>"Don't you speak his name," Atsumu snaps. "This is for him. This man does not deserve an afterlife after what he did to my Shinsuke."</p><p>Osamu tries to stop him, but his efforts are ultimately useless. Atsumu rides off, dragging the dead man behind him.</p><p>They say that to love is to share your soul with someone else. To trust it will thrive in their hands, while trying to keep theirs alive in yours. Maybe they were right. Maybe Atsumu's was still in his beloved's cold hands. Because, much like Shinsuke, Atsumu should have listened. Much like Shinsuke, the gods were not on his side.</p><p>In the walls of Troy, an archer notches his last arrow. His body seems to want to do anything else. His breaths are labored, shoulders aching. The skin on his fingers are bloody and torn. He does not know how he manages to shoot.</p><p>But the god Apollo guides it to its target.</p><p>Atsumu, busy on his way back to the Greek camps with a body in tow, does not notice. He only realizes what has happened when the arrow buries itself in the heel of his left foot. His left heel, the only place his mother had missed when dipping him into the river Styx. The only place a weapon could penetrate his skin.</p><p>Atsumu falls and rolls out of his chariot. He can hear Osamu calling out his name but it does not register.</p><p>The last thing Atsumu sees are the clear skies above him. He does not pray. He promises. Too many have been broken already, but this one he will make true no matter the cost. He promises he will meet Shinsuke again, and he'll never let go.</p><p>-</p><p>Centuries later, Miya Atsumu wakes to the sight of clear skies through his bedroom window. Beside him, his beloved laughs while brushing the hair out of Atsumu's eyes.</p><p>Kita Shinsuke, who doesn't necessarily think the gods are always on your side, who doesn't think they are always watching.</p><p>Kita Shinsuke, who does things because they feel right and true.</p><p>Kita Shinsuke, who understands Miya Atsumu like he's known him for countless lifetimes.</p><p>Centuries later, Miya Atsumu wakes to his beloved, Kita Shinsuke.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>i was listening to a podcast retelling of the iliad / the trojan war and when they spoke of achilles and patroclus i thought,,, this is it,,, fic material</p><p>like,, kitashin not really doing things for the gods cause he already knows better,, so much potential there</p><p>hehe anyway i hope you enjoyed, this was the first fic i wrote since like,,, high school (?) and i have nOt edited it so come yell to me about it over on twitter ! i'm @bestboymob &lt;3</p></blockquote></div></div>
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